Ok Ok so you go through a portal...

[randomhero00]

But what if it wasn't DnD...?
And it was some parallel world that had magic similar to DnD?

Would you go into a portal that is completely mysterious? As in, no knowledge of physics or magic beforehand? (But you have no idea if you have any magical aptitude...high intelligence and any other stat is NOT an indicator.)

The main point is "mysterious."

PS

1. yes, you have 24 hours to pack.
2. yes you can bring a person with you (if they agree...only normal people).
3. No, no previous knowledge of anything (including DnD) will be useful
4. You'd arrive in a "save zone"....meaning some kind of town you'd be safe in for a week at least.
5. Yes, youd get info on any current dangers.

Only things you need to know:
You could gain magical aptitude with study
You'll survive the first week
Everything will be different
You have no idea of the current political regime


Personally I think I'd go and risk it.

PPS feel free to make corrections to my list.

[Bastian Weaver]

One question. How do I get back?

[NikitaDarkstar]

So it pretty much comes down to "Would you leave everything behind and risk it all for the chance that you might possibly learn magic? If you're lucky."?

I'm all for taking a few risks and adventure and such, but if this is all the information I get, I probably wouldn't no. I'd like to know SOMETHING about where I was going (or know I could go anywhere and anytime.. cause time travel is awesome), or it'd have to be one heck of a spur of the moment thing, which it isn't if you get 24 hours to pack and think it over.

[Vizzerdrix]

I'd go. Magic or not, I'd go just to get the chance to explore someplace new.

Worse comes to worse, I know enough random junk that something will proove useful.

[DaMullet]

I think it's pretty presumptuous to say that NOTHING we know currently will be useful. Knowledge of how to learn things (like, scientific method stuff) would be pretty universal unless the alternate universe didn't run on any sort of consistent laws at all, and if that were the case then it would be pretty much a death sentence after the one week grace period ran out on your safe zone.

Also, you say "High intelligence or any other stat" is not indicative; this supposes that we HAVE stats, which makes me question whether this is me as a player or me as a character. Me as a character has a lot less riding on survival than me as a player, so I think he would tend to be more of a risk-taker.

[Rorrik]

IF I could convince my wife to go along, I'm in. Especially if, like today, its a week before finals. It's be hard to pass up revisiting my childhood fantasies and dreams in a fantasy world, all the better if it's original.

[randomhero00]

One question. How do I get back?

No way to get back besides "epic" magic which would be really really rare.


I think it's pretty presumptuous to say that NOTHING we know currently will be useful.
Sorry not NOTHING. Just not game or DnD knowledge.

The "high int" thing only meant that, if you happen to think you are a genius it wouldn't particularly matter in terms of power and spells. In other words you may or may not have "stats".

Its a one way trip, no way back unless you make it to god-status (in which you can do whatever).

[Mr.Moron]

No, not as stated.

I might go if I could know that this magic I could learn would have a non-trivial chance at granting me immortality. Real immortality too, none of that that being undead or trapped in a forever decaying body stuff either.

[randomhero00]

No, not as stated.

I might go if I could know that this magic I could learn would have a non-trivial chance at granting me immortality. Real immortality too, none of that that being undead or trapped in a forever decaying body stuff either.

No immortality just rumors.

[Tengu_temp]

Hell no. Why'd I want to abandon all the trappings of XXI century, things that make my life convenient and fun, and jump into a fantasy world I know nothing about and face toil, boredom, danger and possibly death? Even if I knew what exactly is the world I'd be getting into and had infinite time to prepare, I'd probably still refuse.

[Mr.Moron]

No immortality just rumors.

Not touching that portal with a 20ft pole.

[randomhero00]

Hell no. Why'd I want to abandon all the trappings of XXI century, things that make my life convenient and fun, and jump into a fantasy world I know nothing about and face toil, boredom, danger and possibly death? Even if I knew what exactly is the world I'd be getting into and had infinite time to prepare, I'd probably still refuse.

Cool. A refusal.

Personally the unknown would call to me and I'd have to investigate. I have ties certainly, but not enough to keep me from exploring a new world.

PS why care about immortality? It seems to me it'd be boring.

[NichG]

But what if it wasn't DnD...?
And it was some parallel world that had magic similar to DnD?

Would you go into a portal that is completely mysterious? As in, no knowledge of physics or magic beforehand? (But you have no idea if you have any magical aptitude...high intelligence and any other stat is NOT an indicator.)

The main point is "mysterious."

PS

1. yes, you have 24 hours to pack.
2. yes you can bring a person with you (if they agree...only normal people).
3. No, no previous knowledge of anything (including DnD) will be useful
4. You'd arrive in a "save zone"....meaning some kind of town you'd be safe in for a week at least.
5. Yes, youd get info on any current dangers.

Only things you need to know:
You could gain magical aptitude with study
You'll survive the first week
Everything will be different
You have no idea of the current political regime


I guess my question would be, how do I know these things? How do I know I have 24 hours to pack but then it'll vanish? How do I know that I can only bring 'normal people'? Where does the info come from?

That would contribute a lot to me knowing what the situation is going to be like, which would contribute a lot to the answer. 'Mysterious portal' almost fully implies an interested, powerful entity. Getting info from that entity in some form or other makes that a certainty, and also means that that entity understands humans enough to both communicate to them and to anticipate their desires. So to it I'm either a pawn, or a plaything (which I'm taking to include motivations such as pity, active like, active dislike, etc, since such an entity would be acting from such a different state of being that it'd be hard to have any sort of equality with it).

On the one hand, that means that that entity will probably actively try to protect me from boring but highly probable deaths upon going through the portal, such as the portal leading to the vacuum or space or the middle of the ocean, or even just my immune system being totally unused to the bacterial flora of the other side (or me being unable to metabolize the food there). On the other hand, it means that the situation I'm placed in will probably be more dangerous and risky than the average person's life in that place, as that would be more interesting to the transit entity.

If I got the impression that the techology level on the other side was medieval (given the 'info on current dangers' clause, say), it'd make the decision tricky on a medical basis. Surgery where the only anaesthetic is alcohol isn't really appealing, and its likely given the 'exciting times' clause that I'd need some kind of medical attention sooner or later. Otherwise I'd probably go for it just for the plain reason that it completely flies in the face of everything I know, so I'd never forgive myself for not investigating it.

Most likely what I'd do is I'd inform five or six people with funds and interest, and try to make as much as possible out of the 24 hours. Get measurements made of the portal before it closes, anything I can possibly do to get the knowledge of the details of the portal known to the world. That maximizes the chance that we could create a portal from this side, which both reduces the opportunity cost of choosing not to go and also creates an alternate 'get home' possibility if things go south, though perhaps a long-shot. If I could fish materials through from the other side in that time, thats even better.

If on the other hand its a 'the portal will be open for 30 seconds at 12:01am tonight. Be there or not, your choice.' that makes things more difficult (mostly since I wouldn't have open, glowing evidence of the situation to present to skeptical observers and backers). I'd try to arrange at least a few observers and a video record of the event, regardless of my choice. If I chose not to go, I'd definitely try to get a proxy to go in my stead.

If I decided not to go, I'd also probably try to mess with the transit entity as much as possible based on whatever impression I got of its personality and goals. Basically, the plan would be to get it to want to continue its contact/abduction attempts. The more attempted contacts and transitions, the more of a chance to figure out how it does what it does and to duplicate it, and the more information can be synthesized about the other side of the portal.

[Tengu_temp]

Immortality is awesome. Humanity creates new interesting things at a faster pace than you can experience them even now, so it's not like it'd get boring. There are some side effects, yeah, but it's better than dying - though the best kind of immortality is one where you can still kill yourself if you want to, just in case.

I feel absolutely no call for adventure. Exploring the unknown is just walking through samey territory for hours and hours, with rare moments of excitement - and by excitement, I mean pants-crapping terror, most of the time. So not worth it. I'd rather stay at home and spend my free time doing things I find fun.

[randomhero00]

I guess my question would be, how do I know these things? How do I know I have 24 hours to pack but then it'll vanish? How do I know that I can only bring 'normal people'? Where does the info come from?


A god or goddess appears through the portal.

[NichG]

A god or goddess appears through the portal.

So I'd try to figure out as much as I possibly could from their demeanor, what they specifically say (if they explain why they're doing this or are mysterious), and what powers they evidence (as this is the thing most likely to tell me about the physics of the new place).

An entity of that sort showing up says a very different thing than, say, if it were a robed researcher suffering from mercury poisoning with sulfur stains on his fingertips, coughing and hacking and exclaiming that he didn't think it'd actually ever work.

[enderlord99]

Cool. A refusal.

EVERYONE'S been refusing. Why'd you pick that specific person to quote?:smallconfused:

[Ravens_cry]

Do I speak the language?
I've done some silly things on a whim, like taking an over 20 hour bus trip for my dad's birthday, but this is a bit more extreme than that.

[Ashtagon]

A one-way ticket to the total unknown, with the only guarantee being that I will survive the first week?

Umm, no.

[Tengu_temp]

EVERYONE'S been refusing. Why'd you pick that specific person to quote?:smallconfused:

Clearly, my reasoning was just that awesome.